Tool foe contracting and expanding demountable wheel-kims



a. w. ARMAGOST. TOOL FOR CONTRACTING AND EXPANDING DEMOUNTABLE WHEEL RIMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1919.

1 43,992. Patented June 22, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

n f'ii1I7z7/e2220r QWHHM/IGOW' G. W. ARMAGOST.

TOOL FOR CONTRACTING AND EXPANDING DEMOUNTABLE WHEEL RIMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. 1919.

1,343,992. 'PatentedJune22,1920.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

. G. W. ARMAGOST. TOOL FOR CONTRACTING AND EXPANDING DEMOUNTABLE WHEEL RIMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, I919. 1,843,992.

Patented June 22, 1920.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

G-. W. ARMAGOSTI TOOL FOR CONTRACTING AND EXPANDING DEMOUNTABLE WHEEL RIMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. I9I9.

1,343,992. Patented June 22, 19:20.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlfiE.

GEORGE W. ARMAGOST, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

Application filed May 5, 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonen W. ARMAGOST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Tools for Contracting and *xpanding Demountable Wheel-Rims; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will onable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention provides an extremely s mple and efficient tool for quickly contracting and expanding transversely split circumferentially expansible and contractlble rims of the type generally used on automobiles. Generally stated, the invention consists of the novel construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and defined in V latter being shown in dotted lines only) and the said tool being initially applied and ready for use to contract the rim; I Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the lever of the tool moved so as'to cause contraction of the rims;

Fig. 3 shows the lever of the tool moved to its extreme position, to wit, the position past its dead center, in which position the tool is locked and the rim is given such contraction as required to permit application of the tire or removal thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the tool applied to a tire-equipped rim, the parts being viewed from the opposite side from that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view corresponding to Fig. 41, but with the lever moved to the extreme position shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view with the parts of the tool in the same position as shown in Fig. 5 and with the rim contracted but re moved from the tire;

Fig. 7 shows the tool applied to the rim after the tire has been applied to said rim and after the lever of the tool has been turned from the position shown in Fig. 6

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1920.

Serial No. 294,668.

over to the left far enough to expand the rim to an extent where its ends are flush;

F 1g. 8 is a perspective view corresponding to Fig. 7, but showing the lever moved a httle farther to the left, so as to separate the ends of the rim; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the tool folded up into compact form for shipment or storage.

In the drawings, an ordinary pneumatic tire is indicated by the character a and an ordinary split demountable rim is indicated by the character 6,

The improved tool comprises a pair of op positely extended combined pull and thrust bars 10 and 11, to the outer ends of which grab hooks 12 are pivoted for movements in the planes of the bars. These two bars 10 are connected to an operating lever 13 by offset pivots so that the end of said bar operates as a crank.

These pivotal connections are preferably adjustable and adapt the tool to be set for rims of different size, and for that reason, said bars are provided with longitudinally spaced bolt holes 10 and 11. The end of the lever 13 is pivotally connected to any one of the holeslO by a short bolt 14 equipped with a nut, preferably in the form of a thumb nut 1 1 and the intermediate portion of said lever is, likewise, pivotally connected to any one of the perforations 11 by means of a short bolt 15 equipped with a nut that is preferably in the form of a thumb nut 15.

The tool with the elements so far described, is an operative device, but I have found that unless it is made very strong and that even when made strong and worn by use, there will be a lateral play which will tend to spring the pivotal joints sidewise and sometimes bend the bars or the crank end of the lever. I effectually prevent this lateral spring or buckling by the provision of two simple braces or retaining devices. The first of these so-called braces is in the form of a U-shaped metal yoke 16, one prong of which is formed with a longitudinal slot 16. A HulheQlllPPfid bolt 17, preferably also equipped with a washer 17 is passed through the slot 16 and through the perforation in the extreme inner end of bar 10. The nut on the bolt 17 is secured but not tightened, so that the bracing yoke 16 is free for pivotal and sliding movements but is always anchored to the inner end of the bar 10 and always embraces the intermediate portion of the bar 11, and thereby keeps the two bars 10 and 11 in planes parallel to each other and to the plane of the lever 13.

The-second so-called brace is also in the term of a U-shaped metal part 18, one prong of which is riveted to the intermediate portion of the lever 13 and the other prong of which is oilset, so that when the lever is turned to an extreme position shown in Figs. 3, 5 and .6, it will hold the said lever 13 against lateral separating movement from the bar 11, with which bar the said bracket is then engaged. v

The U-shaped brace 16, it will thus be noted, engages the bar 11in all positions of the lever whether used for contracting or e panding the rim, while the U-brace 18 en gages the bar 10 only when the lever is in a position to hold the rim contracted, and at thistime it is further important to note that the pivot 15 is beyond a dead center, in respect to the hooks and the pivot 1-1, so that the said lever will be self-locked in such position by the force exerted on the tool by the tendencyof the contracted rim to expand.

The hooks are pivoted to the outer ends of the bars 10 and ll slightly inward of their extreme outer ends, so that when turned backward or inward, they will leave the outer ends of the bars free for engagement with the rim to expand the rim. The manner in which the tool is adapted to be used to contract the rim has been made clear from the above statements, and the manner in which it may be used to expand the rim is probably obvious from; the drawings and statements made.

Attention is, however, called to the "fact that to expan'd the rim the tool is applied as shown in Fig. 7 and then forced to the position shown in Fig. 8, whereupon, the rim will automatically spring to its normal looking position.

Attention may be further called to the fact thatwhen the tool is first applied, as shown in Fig. 4:, for the purpose of contracting the rim, the bottom of the U-brace 16 will rest onthe floor and the pivot bolt 17 will drop downward in the slide 16.

WVhen the lever is moved toward the e treme position shown in Figs. 3, 5 and6, the bars and lever will rise, as shown in Fig. 3, and the pivot bolt 17 will freely move upward in the slot 16 sothat the lJ-brace 16 will adapt itself to all positions of the lever, while always acting as a brace to prevent lateral spreading or separation of the bars 10 and 11. lVhen the lever is in the position shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6, the brace 18, even if the lever should not strike the rim, wouldserve as a stop engageable with bar 10 to prevent the lever from being thrown too far beyond-its dead center. Moreover, in such strains and lateral bending or springing of the'levers and bars is prevented. With these braces 1t 1s, thore'liorc, possible to make the parts of the tool of much lighter metal and the pivot bolts much smaller than would otherwise be necessary.

It is further highly important to note that this improved tool, in both of its uses, to wit, for contracting the rim or expanding the rim, operates, that is, its lever and bars move into a vertical plane or in a plane perpendicular, or approximately so, to the plane oi the rim. This gives free clearance for the movement of the lever and prevents'tho operators hands being bruised by contact with. the rim, and moreover, locates the lever where it will not interfere with application oi the tire to, or removal of the tire trom the rim.

V lVhen the rim and tire are laid'llat on the floor and the tool used, as above stated, the lever will move in a perpendicular plane and the riln will afliord'the base of reaction so that the force applied to the tool will not tend to move the rim out of? position, but simply to expand or contract the same. (lbviously, it the lever movement was parallel to the plane of the rim, the Force applied to the lever would simply rotate the rim, unless. of course the rim was 'lastencd down, which would not be convenient.

What I claim is:

1. it. rim contracting and expanding tool comprising a pair of op 'iositcly extended bars provided at their outer ends with grab hooks and thrust shoulders, the l'ormcr for contracting and the latter for expanding the rim, a lever having a crank acting end pivoted to the inner ond'portions off said two bars, the said grab hooks and thrust shoulders being engageable with the rim when said lever is in a plane that is approximately perpendicular to the plane of the rim, one of said bars, at its inner end, having an oil"- set bracketthat embraces the other bar and holds the two bars against lateral separation in the rim contracting and expanding actions, the said bracket being connected to said bar with freedom for sliding movcments.

2. A. rim contracting and; expanding tool comprising a pair of oppositely extended bars provided attheir outer ends with grab hooks and thrust shoulders, the former for contracting and the latter for expanding the rim, a lever having an end pivoted to the inner end portions of said two bars,-the said grab hooks and thrust shoulders being engageable with the rim when said lever is in a plane that is approximately perpendicular to the plane of the rim, one of said bars, at its inner end, having an offset bracket that embraces the other bar and holds the two bars against lateral separation in the rim contracting and expanding actions, the said bracket being of U-shaped form provided in one prong with a longitudinal slot and the connection between the same and the said bar being made by a nut-equipped bolt work 10 ing in said slot.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. ARMAGOST.

Vvitnesses CLARA DEMAREs'r, B. G. BAUMANN. 

